Like thousands of eyes staring back at you, the 17,000 sandblasted glass disks that comprise the eight-storey facade of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Design Hub have ulterior motives. The operable modules pivot on a complex framework to filter the sunlight that enters the building, where students from a variety of disciplines, including fashion and aeronautical engineering, commingle in warehouse-type class-rooms. But the windows are also a testing ground. The school will retrofit or replace them as solar energy technologies advance, boosting the building’s energy efficiency and enabling it to adapt to future sustainability needs. ­

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